Home Bound
by Navy-Girl-12
Summary: Helena revisits her sister's grave on the anniversary of her death and Leon has an important question to ask her, although enjoying their new found bliss quickly turns into a Tall Oaks scale catastrophe before they have time to celebrate.
1. Chapter 1

_As promised, I've begun to write a story based on Leon and Helena. I didn't want it to be rushed so I've taken my time creating the premise and story and it may take a week or so for updates as I don't want to disappoint. I thank everyone who's made suggestions and favorited my previous story, it's much appreciated. _

Homebound.

It had been one year. One year since Helena Harper had experienced her first encounter with the undead. Once year since her sister Deborah had been taken from her through circumstances that to that day she blamed herself for. And it had been six months since the man who saved her from all of it had become more than just her partner.

She was at her desk, working on a report for an outbreak that had occurred outside of Moscow when that man tapped his knuckles on her office door and let himself in.

"Hey, Leon." She said without looking up. She signed one last form and closed the file, turning her full attention to him as he took a seat on the edge of her desk.

"Are you ready?" He asked, his voice low and gentle.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "I suppose so." She began to collect her things.

"You know, we don't have to do this. We can go back to my place and open a bottle of wine and just wait for today to pass."

"No. I have to do this for her. I'm the cause of her death, I have to do this. It's only fair to be there, at least for a little while."

Leon took her hand and tried to offer an apologetic smile. He had long ago realized there was no point in arguing over this. There were two days out of the year she insisted on visiting her sister's grave; the anniversary of her death and on her birthday, and he had promised her he'd be there with her to prove she wasn't alone.

After locking up, Helena followed Leon to his car. They had begun to car pull not long after she was asked to join the D.S.O. and she was thankful that today was his day to drive. During the hour long drive to the cemetery they talked about their day. Leon had worked with Hunnigan on cracking a few codes for another agent on assignment in France and Helena for the most part had finished up her report on her last assignment, occasionally assisting a rookie agent navigate their reporting system and properly fill out a report.

Once they reached the cemetery Helena instantly tensed. Parking near the grave site, Leon gave her a reassuring smile before getting out of the vehicle and opened her door for her. Tentatively she got out of the car and Leon took her hand as they slowly approached the grave. Helena placed a bouquet of daisies, Deborah's favorite flower, on the grave and knelt in front of the head stone. She said nothing as she stared at the etched words across the stone as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. Their parents were buried in the plot next to Debra's, victims of a car accident a few years prior. Now all Helena had was Leon and these markers were the painful reminder that no blood relatives, none that really mattered, remained.

Leon stood beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder as he noticed her silent mourning, and she placed hers on top of his. It was her way of thanking him for being there with her, though he didn't know Deborah the way she really was; the party girl that frustrated Helena to no end but she was unconditionally loved by the oldest Harper sister.

"Thank you." Helena said, so quietly Leon was unsure if he had really heard her speak. "For being here. Deborah would have liked you."

Leon smiled, "Hey, what woman doesn't?"

Helena laughed, a hoarse sound as it escaped her throat. "I'm hoping there's only one you feel the same about."

"Of course." He said as he knelt beside her. "No matter what you might be thinking Helena, this wasn't your fault. Simmons paid for what he'd done, and he can never do this to anyone else. You have to feel relieved at that."

She nodded. "One day, I'll stop feeling the blame for this. I hope so."

"You will. For now, we have to keep living our lives. How about we go out to dinner and rent a movie? Something to help take your mind off today."

Helena took a deep breath and leaned forward, kissing the cold stone before standing. "I miss you Deborah, I love you." She said quietly before turning toward Leon. "Okay, let's go."

Leon took her arm and slowly led her back to the car. As they drove away from the grave, Helena took one last look at the marker before focusing on the road ahead.

Leon chose a quiet, comfortable restaurant a few blocks from his apartment. Helena had opted to order what he had, too tired to decide for herself. He had ordered a bottle of Pinot Noir to go with their meal and while starting his second glass, after a unsettling quiet start to dinner, he brought a proposition to Helena's attention.

"I've been thinking…" He began.

"About what?" She asked, shifting vegetable around her plate.

"Well, we've been seeing each other for a while now." He cleared his throat. "I thought maybe we should move forward with this…us."

Helena looked up, brows furrowed. "What…what are you saying?"

He smiled. "You really aren't going to make this easy, are you?"

"Leon, make what easy?"

"Helena," He took her hands. "Will you move in with me?"

With his question, Helena's jaw dropped and she was at a loss for words.


	2. Chapter 2

Helena was in a state of shock. For the first time in her life someone wanted to commit themselves to her and it wasn't something she knew how to handle. She began to smile, unsure of how this would all turn out seeing as Leon was always a ladies man in everyone's eyes.

"I…well…" She began, her words failing her.

"If you need time I understand."

"No it's not that. I'd love to move in with you but don't you think that maybe we need someplace…bigger?"

He regarded her words for a moment and then cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?"

She ran a thumb over the back of his hand. "I mean we both have small places, and if we're going to actually do this I think it would be a smart investment to find some place new. That way we can start entirely fresh."

"Okay…" he nodded. "So does that mean yes?"

"It means that I'll help you look for a new apartment, or house, or whatever appeals to both of us and if we can agree on a choice then of course I'd move in with you."

He smiled and it was ridiculously boyish for a man like Leon.

Later that evening, they settled in at Helena's apartment, popped some comedy they had rented into the DVD player, and fell onto the couch. Near the end of the movie, Leon's phone rang, shaking him from near sleep.

"What's up Hunnigan?" He answered, Helena questioning the call with one look.

"Leon, are you with Harper?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You both need to get here, now. Something big is going on near Moscow and the two of you are needed for it. Briefing is in thirty minutes."

"What's going on?" Helena asked as Leon disconnected from the call.

"Duty calls. Looks like we aren't getting a nice night in after all."

They drove in silence to D.S.O. headquarters, neither questioning their summons as they knew there was no point to second guess Hunnigan's requests. Once in the parking garage, both pulled overnight bags from the trunk as well as gear. Tactical vests, flash lights and multiple magazines of ammunition along with their weapons took up a bulk of the space. Helena kept her signature Hydra locked up inside the building.

"Alright, fill us in." Leon said coolly as they took seats in the conference room. Hunnigan had set up a short presentation and had a clicker in her hands as she strolled casually to the front of the room. Business as usual.

"Five miles of Moscow outside around twenty-two hundred hours an outbreak occurred in which more than half the population was turned into 'flesh eating monsters' as the local authorities described it. Nearly an hour later a large B.O.W. was spotted close to city limits, as well as multiple infected finding their way into the city." She was switching picture to picture as the spoke, showing Routers photos of the sighting before stopping on a grid-like map of the city. "This situation needs to be detained as soon as possible, before it becomes international news, and not in the way we want it covered up. The B.S.A.A. will be assisting with Chris Redfield as lead on their part, I know the two have of you have worked with him, more or less, before."

"When's the flight?" Helena asked, trying to stiffen a yawn.

"One hour. You will be meeting Chris and his team at the airstrip and will depart as a team." She slid an envelope toward Leon. "Inside is the itinerary as well as maps and grids for your use accordingly. You two know what to do, and good luck."

Hunnigan offered them a smile before leaving the room.

"Well, I need coffee. I'll grab you some then we can go." Helena said, standing.

At the airstrip, they parked one of the agencies black SUV's in a small hanger as their plane was being prepped. Fifteen minutes later their gear was loaded, Chris introduced his team to the two of them, and the small jet was taxied onto the runway.

"Good to see you Leon, Helena." Chris said, casually seated across from them. "It's nice to see the two of you again."

"Likewise, and under much better circumstances." Leon said, "It's nice to be on the same team."

Chris smiled, "Yes, yes it is. I hear the two of you are a thing now, congratulations."

Helena blushed and Leon shook his head. "Claire, I assume?"

"Oh yeah, girl loves to gossip. She misses you and really wants to meet Helena. Told me she'll be home next month for a couple weeks and wants to meet up with us all."

"It's good she's fighting the good fight. Someone's got to stick it to those pharmaceutical companies, well, the ones that cause this kind of shit."

Chris nodded, Helena remained silent as she was unsure who they were even talking about.

"Claire is Chris' sister. We met during the Raccoon City outbreak and have remained good friends since." Leon said, answering the unspoken question. "We correspond at least once a month."

"She sounds like a hell of a friend to keep in touch with you, Mr. Kennedy." Helena said, immediately blushing as she realized she was flirting, and in front of Chris nonetheless.

Leon laughed, "Yes, you're right as always Ms. Harper."

"You really like her, don't you Kennedy." Chris stated hours later as Leon stared out the window and Helena had long ago fallen asleep beside him.

"Yeah, I do."

"What ever happened to Ada? I thought you always had a thing for her?"

"I did. But you can only chase a dream for so long. After Tall Oaks and China, I realized that there might be someone better for me, someone who wouldn't always be running." He muttered, looking down at Helena's sleeping form.

"You came to your senses? I can't believe that." Chris said, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I did. Not long after we returned to the states we went out for coffee. She confessed she had a thing for me, and that saving her life might have had something to do with it but in any case she wanted to get it off her chest. I told her just about the same and we agreed to try it out. I asked her to move in with me last night."

Chris' jaw dropped slightly, quickly he regained his composure. "Really? And…"

"And she said we'd have to house hunt first. Women, right?"

Not long later, the plane began its decent, aiming for a small airstrip set up not far from Moscow by a B.S.A.A. unit stationed within the area. Leon lightly shook Helena.

"Hey, you've got to see this." He said, gesturing with his head toward the city.

"My God…" Helena said, immediately becoming more alert.

The city was nearly on fire, and the undead were filling the streets.


	3. Chapter 3

The plane made a rough landing on the dirt runway and jolted to a stop as its passengers unbuckled themselves and grabbed their gear. On the makeshift tarmac, they were all briefed by the satellite team that had they had been briefed on.

"I'm Captain Hollis, you must be Harper and Kennedy." A burely man, about the size of Chris, said as he extended a hand toward them. They each shook it before he added, "Nice seeing you again, Redfield."

"Patrick." Chris said with a head nod. "I wish we had more time to get to know each other but it seems there's quite a crisis out here."

"Indeed. Follow me, we have a tent set up to brief you." They followed the Captain to his base of operations, a dimly lit tent set up on the opposite of where their plane had stopped. There were maps and photos, much like the ones Leon and Helena received at HQ, spread across a folding table. There was a notepad with barely legible notes scrawled across it. Helena could make out the words _immediate action, all to be neutralized. _

"The threat has made its way past city limits." Hollis said as he pointed out a few places on the map. "We've been given the order to take out the threat by any means necessary."

"Roger, what do you want us to do?" Leon asked, all business.

"I want you two to pull off whatever the hell you did in China. We need your brains and our brawn to get out of this mess, if you know what I'm saying. There's one asset we need you to bring to us alive. A scientist named Alvin Brooks. He's who spread this, and I want him alive. You'll find him in a neo-umbrella laboratory here." He said, pointing to another location on the other side of the city.

"How long do we have?"

"Sunrise. That's five hours. I'm impressed from what I've seen from the two of you, so I expect you won't let me down."

"We won't." Helena said. "Just show us the way in and we'll figure a way out."

"That's the spirit. Here, I've marked on this map every location in which you'll find the opportune areas to contain and destroy the threats. Your rifles will be assigned to you once you leave this tent as well as all the ammunition as you can carry on your person. My teams will be in designated locations to lay cover fire and do their part to take down the B.O.W.'s, we need you two to take out the infected."

"Thank you for your trust. We won't let you down." Leon took Helena's arm and began to guide her from the tent.

"Oh, and agents, don't die." Chris added.

"We'll try not to." Leon said, nodding to his friend and Hollis before the two walked out into the cold night.

Outside, Helena turned to Leon. "Do you…think that maybe they're going to do the same thing here like they did to Raccoon City. I saw some things he'd written and it sounds like that may be the plan."

"I don't know. I hope not, no city deserves that. Not again at least." Leon saw the tears threatening in her eyes, and with a quick glance to ensure no one was watching, he pulled her to him, lifting her chin with his finger so he could look her in the eyes. "Hey, stay strong, for me. Please Helena, I promise you I'll do whatever I can to fix this as long as you give me the same effort in return."

She nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I promise." She kissed him, deeply, before pulling back. "This do this. I already want to go home." Through her reddening eyes and the tears that were left, she forced a smile. Leon gently wiped those tears away and returned it with one of his own.

"Me too." He said. "Let's arm up."

After receiving their weapons, they headed for the safest alternative entrance to the city.

"Remember, don't fire unless you know they're a threat. There are civilians in there." Leon said, double checking his rifle before he nodded, confirming mission was a go.

They slipped by the broken area of a fence and were in the red zone. The scent of death and sounds of the undead were already evident. Staying silent, they made their way to an alley and carefully glanced around the corner. Nearly two dozen zombies were shambling through the street, not nearly as bad as they knew it had to be in the more populated areas of the city. Leon gave Helena a signal and they quietly moved behind a car, where they jointly opened fire, quickly dropping what was in their line of fire.

They moved on, down the street, and found it much more settled.

"It's too quiet." Helena whispered, stopping for a moment to take in their surroundings.

"Tell me about it. Something's not right." Leon replied. "Keep alert."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a large, grotesque B.O.W., almost as tall as the buildings, slowing bounded around a corner.

Leon and Helena darted toward an open building, trying to get out of its line of sight and not succeeding. The monster let out a blood curdling screech and made its way toward them, smashing the corner off an apartment building as he did. The pair ran down a hallway, hoping toward the other end of the building as the monster frantically looked around, trying to locate them.

Leon ducked into a small kitchen and pulled Helena with him. "I think it tracks by sound, I didn't see anything that would remotely resemble an eye on that thing. Keep low and quiet. " he said.

Helena nodded, and soon the sound of a heavy vehicle and a .50 caliber machine gun ripped the silence as a BSAA team responded to the incident.

"Looks like the cavalry's arrived. "Helena said, as she glanced around the corner to see the team assault the creature.

"Good, we can carry on our mission. Let's head upstairs and see if we can get a vantage point."

Carefully, they made their way up the staircase, taking note of a few unlucky souls who weren't lucky enough to escape the carnage. Upstairs, they had come to the conclusion that this was once an office building, as they came to a set of double doors at the end of the hall. Leon presumed this was a conference room, and their best bet at finding some sort of access to another roof top. Checking the handles, he found them locked and shook his head.

"We'll have to breach it." He said, and held up his fingers for a three count. With the nod of confirmation, he kicked open one of the doors while Helena aimed her weapon forward. Once inside, they found themselves staring at the wrong end of someone's pistol.

"Drop it!" Helena said, finger poised on her trigger.

Leon immediately lowered his as his jaw dropped.

A red head, with her hair pulled back and a red jacket mimicked his reaction and slowly lowered her gun.

"Leon?" She said, almost in disbelief.

"Claire." Leon said, greeting his old friend.

AN: So I didn't have much time or energy to preview this too much so I take full responsibility for any mistakes. I just wanted to update so I didn't go cold on this story like I have with ones before. As always, let me know how it's going. Suggestions and comments are always welcome.


	4. Chapter 4

"What are you doing here?" Leon asked, coolly.

"I'm looking for the asshole who did this. I take it that's why you're here too."

Helena looked between the two of them. "So this is the famous Claire Redfield?"

Leon smiled. "Yeah. Claire, this is Helena, my partner."

"And girlfriend." Helena muttered.

"Partner can have more than one meaning." He whispered.

"Girlfriend?" Claire laughed. "No way. The illustrious Leon Scott Kennedy settled down?"

They all shared a chuckle as Claire's face reddened.

"That didn't come out right." She added, noting the look of discomfort on Helena's face. "It's nice to meet you, Helena."

Outside, the gunfire intensified as the BSAA put everything they had into the creature outside.

"While I'd love to play catch-up, we really need to move. We can discuss this on the way." Leon said as he moved to the window. Without much hesitation, he took the end of his rifle and shattered the glass revealing a rooftop a few feet below them. Leon jumped onto it before assisting Claire, then Helena, who he gave a look similar to the one they shared in the sewer at Tall Oaks.

"I'm fine." Helena whispered, only this time she smiled.

Leon took out his map and scoped from the edge of the building to determine their location.

"Leon, Helena; the research facility is located two miles west of your location, so dead ahead of you. It's the building on the hill with the search lights." Hunnigan chimed in through their ear pieces.

"You've been keeping track, huh." Leon said.

"Oh yeah. Heard all about where you're going from Captain Hollis. You left your mikes on." She said sheepishly.

"And some of that stays between the three of us." Leon added, receiving a puzzled glance from Claire.

"Believe me, I know. Just focus on the path ahead and try to avoid trouble. Those Hulk's are dumb, but they're strong."

"Hulk's? That's what they're calling them?" Helena asked.

"Yeah, spur of the moment deal. Contact me when you reach the facility and I'll deactivate the alarms and unlock the doors."

"Roger. Thanks Hunnigan." Leon said before they disconnected. "You heard her. Dead ahead."

He tossed Claire a shotgun and they headed to fire escape. When they made it to ground level, after taken out a couple more infected, they roamed the alleys to find the quickest route to their destination. Claire lit a cigarette beside Leon and caught his glare as she exhaled.

"What?"

He shook his head. "When did you start that?"

"A long time ago. This work gets to you Kennedy, you know that." She cocked her head to the side, motioning toward Helena, who was behind them. "So, how serious is this between you two?"

He shrugged, turning his attention forward. "I asked her to live with me, so come to your own conclusion."

Claire smiled. "That bad, eh? I'm happy for you. About time you found someone who would put up with your ass."

"Yeah Claire, put up with me, that's it."

"Just remember Leon, you can't save them all. Neither of you can."

"That obvious?"

"Oh yeah." She said with a laugh. "I can sense it. You both are hell bent on saving the world, and in a way you can. You just can't save everyone."

He sighed. "You're right, and you've been telling me that for years. I guess it's why I value your friendship. It's what attracted me to her too. We share a common goal."

"I'm sure you share more." Claire said, tossing the remainder of her cigarette and holding her fist up to single the others to stop. They looked forward, at a lone Licker that was slowly making his way toward them.

_Go around? _Leon mouthed.

Claire shook her head and took out her pistol, which until now he had not noticed was equipped with a silencer. She laid out fire, empting an entire magazine before the Licker dropped.

"Where's there's one, there's more." She said quietly. "Let's keep going, your BSAA friends are more equipped to handle this.

"I'm sure Chris' team is." Leon said.

Claire stopped in her tracks. "Chris…is here?" She whispered as she slowly lowered her weapon.

"What's wrong?" Helena asked.

"Nothing." Claire shook her head. "Let's just keep moving." She replied, colder than she intended.

By the time they reached the facility, after a few undead encounters, they only had a few hours remaining on their clock.

"We don't have much time. Let's track this guy down and get out of here. Make every round count." Leon said, taking inventory of his ammunition. "Hunnigan, we're here."

"I see that. I'll disengage the locks, give me a few minutes." She said.

"Claire, keep watch on our six. Helena, stay near me."

Helena sauntered over to Leon, switching places with Claire.

"So, what were you two talking about?" She asked when she reached his side.

"Just catching up, she wanted to know about you."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah." Leon noticed her discomfort. "Don't worry about her. We met in Raccoon City and become good friends. I trust her with my life, just like I trust you."

Helena smiled before Hunnigan could interrupt.

"Alright, you're in. According to what I can see, the scientist is on the third level in the decontamination wing. His movements are erratic though so he may be trying to hide. Good luck, and be careful."

"You've got it." Leon said. "Ladies first." He said, motioning for the two females to enter as he opened the door.

"In good time." Claire said, pointing to the hoard of infected making their way toward the team's location.

Once behind closed doors, they took time for their eyes to adjust to the bright lighting of the room.

"You heard her, third floor." Helena said. "Looks like the elevators still work."

Leon shook his head. "Stairs, they're much safer."

They slowly checked the staircase before entering, Leon went for his ear piece. "Hunnigan, are the cameras down?"

"Sort of. I looped the footage for the facility so it looks like it's still a live feed, but I don't know how long he'll fall for it. I should warn you, I'm picking up more movement. I think some of the laboratories' guards are still around."

Leon looked at his counterparts as they reached the door, taking a look into the hallway before returning his attention to them, he developed the plan of action.

"Claire, take the doors on the left, Helena the right. I've got center, the doors at the end look like a good place to hide. Take whatever heat you get down, and be careful."

They nodded and split up. Leon quickly raced to the end of the hall while the other two began to open doors on their respected sides. After trying the handles and finding it locked, Leon radioed Hunnigan.

"Another locked door, dammit. Hunnigan, what have you got?"

"This must be where they've been manufacturing the new virus, the locks are much more sophisticated. Give me some time, I'll do my best."

By the end of the call, gunfire irrupted from one of the rooms. Leon made a mad dash to the location and found four of the armed guards pinning Helena down.

"Helena! Find cover!" He said from around the corner. Tossing a flash bang in the direction of the men, he waited a few seconds before entering. More gunshots sounded from the hall he had just exited and he could hear Claire's orders.

"You two take care of them, I've got these guys." She said, using her current location to shield herself from the bullets.

Helena uncovered her ears as Leon took a shot at one of the incapacitated guards. She pulled her Hydra from its sling across her back and laid out two more of them. The last of them was backed into a corner, his weapon jamming before Leon's assault.

"Don't…don't kill me, please. I'll do whatever you ask." He pleaded, removing his face mask. He couldn't have been older than twenty-one, the same age as Leon when he was thrown into Raccoon City.

"Alvin Brooks, where is he." Leon asked, placing his weapon at his side to help the young guard feel at ease.

"End of the hall, I'm sure you saw the doors. I was just following orders! They told me to shoot anyone who came in here other than the scientists and other guards…"

"Calm down, you've done your job." Leon picked up the kid's rifle and unjammed it before handing it back to him. "Now let us do ours. Get out of here, and if you try anything…" He looked at Helena. "We won't hesitate."

The guard frantically nodded and took his weapon while fumbling as to stand on his own two feet.

"Get out of here." Helena said. "And try not to die out there."

"Thank you." He mumbled and ran toward the door.

The pair then joined Claire, and the entire squad of guards she was attempting to fight off. Assault rifles at the ready, they opened fire, using one of the steel doors as cover. Helena tossed a frag and managed to take out a few of them while Leon made his every shot count, easily shooting some in the head. As the squad began to fall back, the three of them pushed forward and forced the remaining targets to begin their retreat, Hunnigan chimed in.

"Leon, Helena, are you alright?"

"Never better." Leon responded. "Got anything?"

"The doors will be open in ten seconds, get in there quick." She said.

The doors clicked open and they rushed into the room before the massive steel barriers shut once more behind them. Alvin Brooks stood, defeated, on a platform in front of them.

"I was beginning to think you would never show up." He said, shrugging. "I suppose it was futile to try and hide myself."

"Are you going to come willingly?" Leon asked.

"Of course. I have a story to tell, don't I?" He stepped off his platform and toward them. "I promise no resistance from me. It's those armed fools out there you have to concern yourself with."

"Leon, its Chris, do you copy?"

The agent pressed a finger against his earpiece. "Yeah Redfield, what've you got."

"It's what you've got. Inside the rucksack we gave you is two bricks of C-4. We need you to place them on the computer monitors and lab stations in the center and rear of the lab."

"Easy enough."

"No so easy, once placed they'll automatically arm. You have fifteen minutes to get out of there. Plan your escape and do it quickly. There isn't much time left."

"Roger, see you back on the runway."

"You can count on it."

Leon shrugged off the pack and pulled the bricks out. "Wish he would have warned me I was carrying explosive." He mumbled as he handed one to Helena. "Did you catch all that?"

She nodded and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I've got the monitors."

As Claire kept an eye on the scientist, the two made work to place the C-4.

"We can escape through the back service elevator, if that's what you're looking for." Brooks said, watching Leon as he searching the lab for an exit. "It's right there, I promise you it's the best way."

He and Helena watched each other's eyes as they slowly planted the explosives and the timer began to set itself.

"Let's move." He said, and the four loaded into the elevator, keeping in mind that their time was becoming short.

"I don't trust you." He said to Brooks as they descended to the loading docks, the route Brooks had suggested.

"I very well expect that you wouldn't. But I'll have you know, Agent Kennedy, I've been tracking the BSAA. I knew they brought both you and Agent Harper to find me, and that I am grateful for it." He paused to gauge Leon's puzzled reaction, as they had never introduced themselves. "I'm the one who tipped off the organization, I wanted out of this, and I'm not the man you want.

I merely concocted this damn virus, I wasn't the one who released it into the public nor did I want to. I came upon it by accident and once neo-umbrella got word they forced me here, to perfect it for them."

In the loading bay, once the doors slid open, the four stepped out into the cold room.

"I'll tell you all everything you want to know once we reach safety, under one condition."

"And that is?" Helena asked.

"I get the protection I need from the man you want."

"We can try." Leon said, receiving a smile from Brooks that didn't reach his eyes.

"Yes, you can." He handed Leon a set of keys and motioned toward a truck. "Shall we?"

Outside the facility, on one of the remaining 'peaceful' streets, they watched the laboratory burst into flames. As fire consumed it, Brooks let out a chuckle and shook his head.

"Good riddance." He murmured as Leon pressed his foot against the gas pedal.

"Let's just get you to the Captain, and then the rest of us can finish this." He said, and they began the journey back to the safe zone.


End file.
